Yeah, that burns

It's hard to really appreciate the workout that you get from trail riding until you've gone and done it after a long hiatus. I checked my computer last night, and I logged about 6 miles out there on the trails last night. I would have probably ridden twice the distance or further, even on the "lethargic" paced road ride I usually attend. Even in those 6 miles, I got a much more complete workout than usual.

I slept like a baby when I finally got to bed, which was a bit later than I'd have liked. All in all, I still got a good night's rest. When I woke up, I felt the burn: Everywhere. Chest, abs, shoulders, back, and I even had stiff hands -- likely from a few white-knuckled episodes of high speed through the trees. If you were ever fascinated by the speeder bike scene in Return of the Jedi, you really need to go ride through some tree-covered bike trails.

I think I might start alternating my Mondays between my usual road ride and Shawnee Mission Park. I don't know for sure if this will really help sharpen me up for what winter will throw at me, but I did find myself keeping my balance and holding a better line by the end of my little adventure last night.

I shook off the stiffness and did some stretches this morning, which is something I forgot to do last night. I'm regretting it now. I was planning on hitting one of the few fattening fast-food joints on the way to the bus for breakfast this morning, but I spent too much time shivering in the living room trying to get motivated to get out early. I grabbed a fistfull of Caribou Mocha Bars for the road and took off.

As I pulled up to the coffee shop, I ran into headphone lady and her boyfriend (husband?) which is the guy who rides the old black Diamondback Outlook. They commhttp://www.blogger.com/img/gl.link.gifented on my lighting setup. Right now, it's a red/orange helmet blinkie (mars 3.0), a totally illegal but very eye-catching blue blinkie under my seat, the Dinotte (blinking) in front, the NiteRider on my helmet, and TireFlys on the wheels. I'm lit up like a Christmas Tree. Just wait until I string miniature Christmas lights on my bike when it gets closer to Christmas. That was a big hit last year.

JR, Lorin and I dispensed our sage bicycle wisdom to a gentleman that was looking for a bike to get around town for fun and transportation. He'd probably be fine with a hybrid from the sounds of things. He says he wants to ride around on streets but wants to be able to go "off road". From my experience, most peoples' idea of "off road" for a bicycle is totally within the capabilities of a hybrid, or hell, even a road bike. I've taken my Trek 1200 on a few dirt BMX trails. The only time I had a problem was a loss of traction when I was climbing a dirt hill out of the saddle. I sat back down and it was all better. A serious cyclist looking for a mix of on/off road and all-weather performance would be better off with a cyclocross bike, but the cheaper mass-produced hybrid bikes really work well enough for most.

Well, I'm off to the grind.

Random Tunage:
Madonna - The Power Of Goodbye
IIO - Rapture (JC & SK)